A photo of a squirrel “splooting,” a behavior the animals use to cool off during hot weather.
Following a series of concerned comments from city-goers, New York City Park officials have confirmed what this is. According to park officials, squirrels appearing as such is called splooting and is perfectly normal.
“If you see a squirrel lying down like this, don’t worry; it’s just fine,” wrote the department on Twitter alongside an image of a squirrel stretching out its limbs. “On hot days, squirrels keep cool by splooting (stretching out) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat. It is sometimes referred to as heat dumping.”
Leave a Reply